


Outcast

by Tai_ke_ai



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Acceptance, Alone, Being a Stray, Being an outcast, Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Empathy, Gen, Hurt, Not Anymore, Orphan - Freeform, Rat being vicious, Starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 04:56:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11821683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tai_ke_ai/pseuds/Tai_ke_ai
Summary: For the longest time I never thought I would find a human of my own like other dogs. But then I met Carlos.He is everything I ever hoped my human would be.Except for the part where he is deathly afraid of animals… especially dogs. But that’s just a minor set back which I’m determined to fix.Oh, and I probably should mention that he’s also Cruella de Vil’s son. That seems like an important detail to know about.





	Outcast

Hey there! My name is Digger-up-of-gardens Unearthing-expert-of-all-that-are-hidden-beneath-the-surface Dasher-after-all-who-run and Endurer-of-many-sharp-teethed-situations. Of course humans, with their simplistic communication abilities, are incapable of smelling scent of my full title as most other creatures are and thus have given me a shorter name. Now I suspect that most of you who are reading this are humans -after all, very few of us canines have actually mastered the art of reading- and because of that you probably do not recognise me by my full name. So I will give you the shortened version gifted to me by humans and the one that I am particularly famous for: Dude. 

I am a relatively normal dog. I bark at squirrels, chase my tail, bury my bones underneath tulip plants, drink out of the toilet, and love to play fetch. And yet despite being a normal dog I am not ordinary. If I really were ordinary than this story would be really boring. For real, who wants to just hear about an ordinary dog?

Yeah, didn’t think so.

I would not say that I am special. Just that my life has been a bit unusual from day one. You see, I never had siblings like most pups. I never got to see my mother like most pups. I never got my very own human to guard like most pups. I also had no home or place to belong to like most pups.

I did eventually get my own human, but once again the situation was not like most dogs. I was not given a human like other pups and dogs. The human was not chosen for me through outsiders help. Instead I chose him. But what makes my case even stranger is that the human that I chose was not an animal lover. Oh no, this boy was actually deathly afraid of animals- especially dogs. Oh, and he was Cruella’s pup. Probably should mention that little detail.

Now hold up, you say. Why on earth would I choose a human boy who is _afraid_ of dogs? And why on EARTH would I choose the offspring of dogs’ version of the boogman (women?). Was there no one else for me to pick from?

Well yeah, sure. There were actually a lot of human pups I could have chosen. I lived in this huge castle where there were hundreds and hundreds of human puppies running around night and day. You could say I had the pick of the litter.

And yet I chose none of them. Not one! For years (dog years that is) I lived among these humans and yet not once did I even think of claiming any of them.

You might draw the conclusion that I did not want a human. Well that just proves that jumping to conclusions is stupid, because I did want a human. Having a human of my very own was actually a lifelong dream of mine. 

But none of those humans felt right. Sure they were all nice and gave me treats and belly rubs and such. The thing is, I never really connected with any of them on that special level. They didn’t understand me, and I don’t mean that in the sense that humans don’t know how to speak dog (though that does get annoying at times). What I mean is, all those happy kids with their perfect little lives couldn’t and didn’t understand where I came from- what I had to deal with in my younger days as an outcast.

And there it is- the interesting part of my story. I’m sure you’d love to hear how someone as famous at Auradon Prep as me was once an outcast and orphan. In order for you to fully understand my story, I’m going to have to start at the very beginning.

That is right, the night of my birth.

It all started on the night of a half moon with a storm approaching on the horizon. Lighting flashing in the heavy clouds as they descended upon the shadow cast city, threatening to block out the moon which somehow encompassed in itself two natural opposites, pure white and pitch black.

Of course, I could not actually see any of this. Puppies are born blind you know. 

I kind of also do not know whether I was born under a night of a half moon or if I was born at night at all. It could have been the middle of the day for all I know. But I like to imagine that something really cool was happening during my birth, some type of foreshadowing to hint at just what an extraordinary life I was going to have. 

The sad truth of it is, however, that I do not remember anything of my birth nor do I have any way of finding out what it was like.

I do, however, know what my mother smelled like. I cannot now remember exactly what that smell was, but to this day I still remember what the scent told me her name was. Protector-of-those-of-her-pack Attentive-caregiver-of-the-small-and-weak injurer-of-mailmen-and-cats Smart-and-resourceful-fighter-against-sharp-teethed-situations Loyal-friend-to-those-of-her-pack Expert-digger-of-earth Yeller-of-those-who-dare-to-pass-near. See?! Is that name/scent not the best? You can really tell that she would have been a great mom.

That is right. Would have. Past tense. You see, by the time I was old enough to open my eyes and take a peek at the world, she was gone.

I do not know what happened. I was too young to remember anything besides the fact that she was not there. 

Now I know what you are thinking, but you are wrong! My mom did not abandon me. Her name/scent clearly shows that she would never have left me of her own accord. Protector, loyal, caregiver- does that sound like the type of dog that would just leave her week old puppy?

Of course not!

The mystery still remains, however. Why was she not there? Did something happen to her? Was she taken? Did she die?

I will probably never find out the answers to these questions.

Whatever the case, I was not totally abandoned. A rat found me and took me in. He kept me alive by feeding me and making sure I was warm in the coldest of nights. But he was not my mother and he certainly did not take me in out of the goodness of his heart.

As soon as I was able to walk on my own paws he sent me out in the world begging for food from humans to give it to him. I was a cute little mutt and humans loved seeing puppy eyes on an actual puppy. I could always manage to scrounge up scraps for the rat even on the worst of days. Because of that we both lived rather peacefully together. He kept to his part of the rats nest and I kept to my corner, not daring to make a noise or move too much in fear that it would anger him and then he would refuse to let me eat that day as punishment. I was always hungry back then.

So, for the first two months of my life I gathered food for the rat that saved me from freezing or starving to death when I was helpless. The rat made sure to leave something for me when he was finished, unless I was being punished of course. While I was out getting us food the rat either gathered more shiny trinkets for himself or lounged among his beloved possessions- admiring their beauty- or what he thought was beautiful.

Eventually, however, our little arrangement fell apart. It was either because I got too big, or his rats nest got too full of his precious shiny nicknacks. Either way, I soon did not fit in his already crowded home and he booted me out. The rat still wanted me to work for him, though, and since he had been the only parental figure I had ever known I did not leave him. I felt loyalty toward him, loyalty that I now know was misplaced. I recognise now that the rat did not love me nor even really care for me. But back then I knew nothing better but the old rats begrudging care. To me, that was love.

At first I was able to continue providing for the rat and he continued to let me eat some of the food I scavenged. But things were not as pleasant as before. I got really cold at nights and had only the shelter of an overhanging sewage pipe to protect me from the rain. As for the windy days I used an empty corner between building as the only shield me against the cold and invasive blasts of air that swept down the alley. I often whined and begged for the rat to let me back into his home during the worst of the nights despite the threat of not being allowed to eat the next day. 

And then, the lighting storm came. I had never experienced lighting and thunder before and it was truly terrifying to be trapped out in the open. The rain was pelting down hard, hitting my back and flank mercilessly. I was chilled to the bone and shivering uncontrollably with every gust of wind that only drove the rain drops down harder onto me no matter where I tried to hide. 

Right at the moment when I could not be more miserable a flash of white light lit up the sky followed by a defining crack. I was sure that the sky had broken and the world was about to end.

A terrified yelp tore at my throat and without any conscious consent I found myself wriggling my large but thin body into the sewage pipe that led to the rats home. If I had been a well fed puppy and if my coat had not been dripping wet and slippery from the rain I would not have fit and probably gotten stuck. As it was I barely managed to squeeze myself through the tunnel and into the rat’s home. 

The rat was screeching at me to get out when another flash and crack of lightning and thunder exploded right behind me and nearly deafened me. Scared beyond belief I tore my way further into his home and nearly took the entire place down on our heads. Shimmering glass bottles shattered, marbles went rolling everywhere, coins were scattered about, and shiny tinfoil was ripped to shreds. Everything the rat had ever collected was either destroyed or trampled over.

That was the first time I ever experienced someone I saw as part of my pack attacking me. Rats can be vicious creatures and well did I learn just how sharp their claws and teeth are. I barely got out of there with my tail still attached. 

The experience for me was horrible. Have you ever lived your entire life trying to please one creature? Seeking from them all the protection, care, and love that you crave so desperately? Have you ever felt such longing to please that one creature, that one person, only to have them attack you so violently? 

It was not even that he swiped at me once. He tried to rip me to shreds. Biting, tearing, ripping, clawing. I still believe the old rat would have killed me if I had not managed to escape. 

I ran into the stormy night, my paws scrabbling at the wet cement under me as I dashed through alleys and down roads. I ran and ran and ran. Each lightning strike and thunder clap blinded me with visions of those sharp teeth bared at me and the claws tipped with red reaching out toward me. So scared, so stricken with betrayal was I that I did not feel any pain.

Eventually I became so exhausted from running -probably blood loss too- that I collapsed under some random porch steps and instantly fell unconscious.

After that my life did not fair any better. I spent an entire year out in the streets of the city begging for food, hiding from all the other animals, and seeking shelter in cardboard boxes or under dumpsters. It was alright at first as most humans took pity on me and lavished me with their extra food. But the other animals in the city were not so nice. I was deathly scared of rats and soon learned to avoid dogs and cats as well. Usually the dogs I encountered saw me as an outsider trespassing on their packs turf while cats saw a weak mangy animal that they could easily torment. 

I did get really good at running, though. The other dogs and cats were almost always bigger and stronger than me, but they were certainly not as quick and agile as I who had to be to survive. 

It was also during this time that I discovered the unusual case of my situation. It turned out that most pups were not raised by rats or lived in alleyways. Most lived inside houses where they played with and guarded their humans. I learned that almost all dogs had at least one human to call their own. I watched hungrily from the shadow as other pups like me living idealistic lives with their humans. 

It hurt to see the love and joy that was shared between the dog and their human. It reminded me that I was an outcast. That I was alone. 

This is when I began to dream about having a human of my own. They would hold me, I decided, and hug me when either of us were feeling scared or needing comfort. They would play games with me and lavish belly rubs on me. I would protect them and lick their face to make them smile whenever they were feeling down. We would hold a special connection together, understanding one another despite our language barrier.

It was a wonderful dream, and for a time I believed it could come true. I hoped that with every human I begged food from that they would not just see a poor dog, feed him, and then walk away and forget he existed. They would look at me and I at them and we would both just… just… just _get_ each other, you know?

It was about this time that things once again began to go south for me. Honestly I should have expected it with how hard my life had been so far. I eventually lost my puppy charm and with that many of my free meals. Humans began to sneer or ignore the dirty, ugly, mangy mutt that was no longer a cute puppy. 

What with having to run and hide from almost every animal while barely getting enough to survive on, I doubt I would have lasted much longer in the streets. A weary sickness was beginning to creep into my bones

That was when I stumbled upon Auradon Prep. It was originally because a pack of some not so nice dogs who owned rich humans were hounding me to get out of their neighborhood that I stumbled upon the large castle grounds that once belonged to the Beast. 

Now I did not know this at the time. For me it was just a big green wilderness that I had never seen before. Sure I had come across parks with soft soil, clean grass, and large trees that cast the soil around their roots in cool shade, but this place was huge! 

Strangest of all was the fact that there was not one dog, cat, rat, raccoon, or possum on the castle grounds. It was as if I had stumbled onto an animal restricted area where nearly all of the humans that lived there were puppies right on the doorstep of adulthood.

For the first week I hid from all the humans. I had formed the opinion a few weeks ago that all humans would drive me away now that I was no longer a cute puppy- even these human pups. Thus it was better to hide in the shadows.

Usually I would have moved on right through the place- but I couldn’t bare to. Auradon Prep had plenty of spots perfect for getting away from the storm and there were no other animals to chase me out. Best of all was the huge food box. I had come across several of these large boxes of junk in the city so the big metal box was nothing new. What was inside of it though… oh yeah!

Unlike the city boxes which would sometimes - _sometimes_ \- have a good meal inside but usually be filled with human junk, this box only got filled with food. There were two other containers as well, one holding broken human junk and uneatable stuff like that while the other was full of cardboard and paper. These containers were of no interest to me as my nose had been immediately drawn to the first one that was filled to the brim with delicious food. Now I am not a picky eater by any means, but eating from that heavenly container of goodness for over a week began to spoil me real quick. 

As it turns out, living off of whatever scraps you can find all of your life makes for some interesting habits. Despite the fact that this container was almost always full of food, except for every Thursday when all the boxes were emptied into a truck that drove away to dump everything into something called a barge, I still felt fear that one day this food supplier would run dry. Thus I began to take whatever food didn’t crumble away in my mouth- so no cake or waffles -and bury them around the extensive grounds. At least I knew that if the humans forgot to fill the containers with food one day I would have a backup plan.

My backup plan is what led me to getting caught, though. You see, apparently the humans that lived at the castle were not pleased to find upturned flowerbeds. In my defense the soil is just so soft in their gardens. It was perfect for digging. But the humans never use their paws for digging so of course they would not understand. 

I was in the process of burying half a slab of some sticky meat when Johnny Foxwood spotted me.

You probably know who Johnny is through his mother- the well beloved founder of Oliver and Company Pet Adoption Center located on Fifth Avenue in New Kroy. The Foxwoods were known for being especially kind to strays.

I, however, did not know who Foxwood was and thus fled from the boy just as I would have fled from anyone else. I hoped that that was it and the human would forget me. Up until that moment I had managed to keep out of sight from all the humans. But now that I had been seen I was sure it was only a matter of time until they chased me out like everyone else.

As for what Johnny was doing, he was a lot like his mother in that he had a huge bleeding heart and the need to make a difference. So he started organising a campaign to not just get people aware of my presence on campus, but to encourage them to try and ‘rescue me.’

The many almost-not-puppies-anymore started leaving out food for me and calling to me whenever they saw me. 

It was weird. The last time people behaved like this toward me I had been a cute puppy. But I knew I was not that cute baby dog anymore, so all I could think was that these humans were trying to trick me. 

Eventually Johnny and his friends got tired of seeing the ‘poor half starved stray’ suffering and thus set a trap for me near the food box. By the time I realised what was happening it was nearly too late… nearly.

I remind you now that I grew up an outcast on the streets. You could say I had spent my whole life perfecting the art of last minute escapes. So really Johnny was no real threat to me and I could have easily slipped away from him and never been seen again. 

Just as I was about to make my get away, though, I caught a whiff of his name/scent. I had never allowed any of the humans here get close enough for me to smell their name. But as I dashed underneath his eagle spread arms my nose caught his name/scent and I stopped.

I knew that he would not hurt me. I knew that he just wanted to help in his own strange way. I knew that if I let him take me he would make sure I became healthy just like all those domesticated dogs I usually envied from afar.

You see, his name was Just-wants-to-help-anyone-or-thing-that-might-remotely-need-him Occasionally-a-bit-controlling Having-great-sympathy-and-love-for-animals-especially-strays Not-a-fan-of-mexican-food Notably-good-and-positive-coordinator Yells-enthusiastically-at-Tourney-games-because-is-a-huge-fan.

It was a split moment decision, one which I was very unsure about but decided to make since my instincts were telling me everything would work out. Not only that, but a part of me knew I was getting sick. It had actually been creeping up on me for some time and while the improved nutrition from the food box staved it off for a while, if I did not accept help eventually I was pretty sure I would die.

And that was how I was officially introduced to Auradon Prep.

Despite it working out in the end, my ‘rescue and rehabilitation’ was not all smooth sailing. You see even though Johnny was pretty adept at listening to us animals, he was not an expert. Despite my many assurances to him that I would not try to escape, he and the other humans kept me locked up in what they referred to as the backroom to the nurse's office. 

I know they did it out of concern for my health and that in their own strange way they were just trying to do what they thought was best for me. Everyone I smelled had some type of honest, caring, and even a bit of goody two-shoes scent in their name. So I knew they really did want to help.

But I hated it. I need my freedom like I need air. 

The rat had kept me in bondage for so long. Sure I could physically go anywhere back then, but I was not actually free to do so. The rat kept me on a short leash with threats of punishment if I stepped out of line and scare tactics to keep me dependant on him. Worst of all he abusing my innocent and blind loyalty I had toward him to get what he wanted. Once I grew up -and way after I had left him- I recognised that the rat had basically kept me as his slave. It was this life experience, plus my wandering life style, which made having freedom and a choice a very big deal to me.

Aside from the whole keeping me against my will thing, the humans treated me really well and soon I felt better than I could ever remember feeling in my entire life. My coat became glossier than ever before and I put on a good few pounds which the humans thought was marvelous. Every day I was visited by familiar and new humans until I practically knew everyone on the castle grounds- and they _all_ knew me.

I warmed up to the human pups that lived here and found them all to be good, kind, idealistic, a bit naive, and sometimes very entitled pack. It was surprising how quickly I was integrated into their midst. They started calling me mascot which I came to learn meant I was a celebrity.

My place in the school only cemented after Johnny graduated and I chose to stay at the castle. A lot of people had assumed I would choose Johnny as my human, but that was only because they did not know me that well.

You see, while I admit that I liked Johnny and did spent a lot of time with him while he lived at Auradon Prep, I knew he could never be mine. We just didn’t match. How could anyone expect me to take in a human who might turn on me and take away my freedom at any moment even if they said it was for my own good?

The other thing that made it obvious Johnny and I were not a good match was because he did not see me as an equal. He did not see me as the strong endurer that I was. He saw me as a successful charity case. He looked at me not with understanding and respect, but with pity.

Actually, that is why I managed to stay so long in a school full of dogless humans and not get my own human. Everyone saw me as a victim, not a survivor.

I did not need their pity. I still do not need it. And I certainly do not want it!

Sympathy is okay perhaps. Empathy is always comforting. I do want people to understand and be able to empathise with what I survived through. If they can empathise, then that means they actually know a bit what it was like to be me back then. And if they can do that then perhaps they can actually _get_ me.

But the human pups at the castle did not empathise with me. The could not. Their lives were perfect. Their cookie-cutter childhoods were idealistic. They did not and would probably never know what it was like to be so familiar with fear as I had been and to feel so isolated and alone as I was. 

They would never understand just how crushingly hard it was to be an outcast… to be different and despised for it.

But I was okay with this. I had long learned to let these sort of things just roll of my back. Yeah sure sometimes their pity annoyed me. But they all were good kids. It was not their fault they did not have a traumatic experience growing up or were never abused, attacked, or starved.

… That sounded a lot better in my head.

Anyway, I soon became a fixed aspect of Auradon Prep- just as much a part of it as that strange beast-to-man transforming statue or the pond of un-enchantedness. I learned that the castle grounds were a sort of strange training place for human nearly-not-kids-anymore. I learned that the colder and wet season was the school’s busiest times but during the hot season most of the kids disappeared to who knows where and things slowed down a bit.

I discovered that at the beginning of the hot-time-and-slowing-down-of-activity season the oldest of the human pups ‘graduated.’ That basically meant the kids were fully life-trained and it was time for them to leave the litter. The opposite thing would happen at the end of every hot-time-and-slowing-down-of-activity season as a bunch of new human puppies were introduced into the litter to make up for the ones that just moved out.

It became part of my job to send off the new adult humans into the world as well as welcome in the new students every year. I made it my job to know every student that came and went and to make sure they all felt welcome as well as evaluate them and learn their name/scent. With so many human puppies running around I knew that the adult humans in charge could not possibly keep track of them all or recognise if there was a trespasser. 

And so that was why, several weeks after all the new human pups had already been inaugurated into the school, that I noticed Carlos. 

I came to the field-of-rough-play looking for the young Best-friend-to-many-because-of-his-compassionate-heart Earnest-about-literally-everything Noble-minded-future-protective-alpha-who-desires-to-be-great-and-good, who humans called Ben, to tell him I had been smelling strange scents around campus and was pretty sure we had at least more than one intruder on the castle grounds. 

When I saw the boy on the field I believed I had found the trespasser and immediately gave chase. 

I will say this, the boy could sure run. 

I followed him all the way across the field and into the woods, the whole time demanding him he state his business. 

It was not until he scaled a tree and I paused long enough to actually smelled his name/scent that I realised I had made a huge mistake.

His name/scent struck me strongly because of how very different it was every other student that I had ever met here. Carrier-of-deep-seated-fears-and-scars Artisan-of-many-magics-which-humans-call-technology Resourceful-survivor-of-sharp-teethed-situations Loyal-follower-to-those-of-his-pack Oddity-of-black-and-white Sincere-and-trusting-innocents. No one had ‘survivor’ in their name, or ‘fear’ and ‘scars’ for that matter. 

Recognition began to dawn on me as I saw, smelled, heard, and sensed instinctively who _he_ was.

I saw his thin frame and recognised the type of hunger that plagued him. This boy was no stranger to starving and begging for food. Like me, he had lived all of his puppyhood haunted by the aching pains of hunger.

I smelled his fear and recognised how comfortable he was feeling it. No, comfortable is not the right word. More like he was used to it- accustomed to being scared almost all the time. I thought back to how when I ran at him, he had turned and fled- just like when I used to always flee from other dogs and humans that chased me out. This boy was an outcast with nowhere to belong just like I had been.

I heard the desperation and strain in his voice and recognised it as a plea for mercy and help. This little human was used to being beaten and abused by others who were stronger than him. The boy did not even try to fight or defend himself. His first response had been to flee. But when I got him cornered he immediately began calling for help. I remember being just like that when I was a half starved pup. I never fought because I couldn’t. My best option had always been to run, hide, or beg for mercy.

That is when I realised that the boy was not _like_ me- he _was_ me. He was the human version of me before I had stumbled upon Auradon Prep.

He was an outcast.

All of this processing and thinking went through my brain in a second and as I looked up to the boy in the tree and stared into his dark brown eyes I knew what I had to do. 

I had to make this boy my human.

A part of me hesitated, unsure if I was making the right decision. I valued my freedom dearly even as I yearned to connect with a human and become their guardian. But looking at that boy I decided that helping this pup was more important than anything I wanted. I knew what this boy craved affection just as strongly as I had when I was his age (in dog years of course).

By this time Ben had caught up to us and was attempting to calm the smaller boy who I now heard him call Carlos. The boy obviously saw Ben the way I did- as a future protective leader who could be relied on- called for Ben to protect and keep him safe. I could tell that the boy did not really trust Ben- I would never expect someone so emotionally abused as Carlos obviously had been to trust people so easily -but like all pups he needed protection and so was relying on Ben right now to guard him from danger.

It hurt a little that this injured human pup saw me as a danger. 

But that didn’t matter. What did matter was getting Carlos to calm down and listen to me long enough for me to connect with him. Seeing the bit of trust the boy was forced to place on Ben in order to secure some sense of safety, I allowed the future alpha to pick me up and lowered my head to communicate that I was submissive to Ben. 

To understand what a big deal this was I should probably mention that I hate being picked up. Allowing myself to be held meant it would be harder for me to escape if I felt the need to without hurting someone. While I value my freedom I also cared about the litter of human pups who lived here and do not want to hurt them. 

Being the son of the once beast king and the extremely empathetic Belle made Ben one of those humans more adept at understanding us animals. But I was not doing any of this for Ben’s sake. He already knew I was a good dog and neither of us felt the need to challenge each other’s authority or become beholding to the other. 

It stung a little to have to bow my head when I in no way wanted to become submissive to Ben. But a glance at the future alpha told me that he understood. In fact, I could tell- through his scent- that he had picked me up for the same reason I had let myself be picked up. We were both putting on a show to try and calm down the human boy still clinging to the tree. If Carlos saw that I recognised and respected Ben as an authority then he would be less afraid that I might fight back or attack. 

It worked as the little white and black furred human pup with brown speckles on his nose relaxed minutely. He was still tense, but his arm began to loosen from around the tree and his voice became soft in a way that told me he was now more curious than afraid, but still cautious. His dark eyes also said that he was unsure- doubting what he previously believed about dogs with what he was seeing now. I

A part of me was jealous that no dog or human had done this for me when I was a pup all alone and desperate for companionship. But the jealousy was not enough to keep me from wanting to help this puppy. Carlos was exuding a need to be accepted and a want to have someone to trust, love, and protect them.

Despite this pup’s needs, he was still afraid. The core of who he was, as you can tell from his name/scent, was one of trust and innocent. But life had forced him to be distrusting and all too aware of the world’s flaws. Even now I could see the battle in him as he fought between his two warring sides, one which wished to have faith and the other- cultivated through hard learned lessons on the street -demanding he run. Right now he was hesitating, considering staying and listening. But hesitation only lasts so long. 

I had to make my move now before Carlos ran again. I had to talk to him.

You humans only use your voice -and a small percentage of body language- to communicate with each other, but we dogs utilize everything. A look of understanding in my eyes, a kind twitch of my ears, a friendly wag of my tail, a protective pawing motion of my front leg, a slight sniff of acceptance of my nose, the questioning tilt of my head, and my scent which I made sure expressed my already growing affection for him. I used all of this to tell him, ‘I-see- _you_ I-understand- _you_  
I-wish-to-protect-and-love- _you_  
I-want-to-make- _you_ - _mine_ -if-you-so-wish.’

I was surprised by how much I actually wanted to make him my human. I wanted so badly to befriend this boy who was so much like me when I had been a young puppy. But I understood the need to be free and have a choice. That is why I _askedme_ do-you-really-understand- _me_?’

And then, before I could answer or even process that this human might actually be talking to me and might actually completely understand me, recognition sparked in Carlos’ almond eyes as he found what he had been searching for in my own gaze. The tension in his body disappeared immediately and his hand reached out to pet me in a show of trust. The corners of his mouth twitched up in what I knew meant the boy was feeling happiness. His emotion/scent changed again (definitely deliberate) into a bright yet timid type of joy at having been accepted so quickly and completely by someone. He was saying as clear as any dog could ever speak, ‘I-see- _you_ I-understand- _you_ -too I-recognise- _me_ -in- _you_ _we_ -are-similar I-want-to-be-yours I-want- _you_ -to-be-mine.’

And then he paused. He became a little more nervous, a little more anxious, a little more unsure. His emotion/scent became afraid. Not the type of fear he had been exuding before. That had been fear for one’s life. The fear the boy was projecting now was not as harsh and sharp, but it was still strong and prominent which meant it was just as (perhaps even more) important. He was afraid of being alone, of being rejected.

‘Do-you-really-want- _me_?’

I made sure to stamp out that fear right away. I wagged my tail harder and looked up at him in reassurance. I stuck my head out toward him so that my nose was closer to him and I could smell his name/scent and emotion/scent to show him I accepted and liked him. I gave a little whine in a plea to call him closer all of my actions saying to him, ‘don’t-go I-do-want- _you_ be-my-human _I_ -choose- _you_.’

And that was all he needed me to say. Suddenly I was in his arms and he was hugging me close like I was his lifeline. Yet he was oh so careful and gentle so that I could easily have jumped out of his arms if I chose. His hands were ghosting over me, gently petting me. He wanted to show me affection but he was still unsure- as if he did not believe that I really had claimed him.

As for me I was surprised that I _had_ claimed him. What was more surprising was how _right_ this felt. I was being held. But I was okay with it. In fact, I liked it. I wanted it.

Oh great dino bones! I had a boy! I HAD A HUMAN BOY!!! Me, the dog who was known for being a loner. Friend to all the human pups but tied down to none. Me, the dog who secretly always wished for a human of my own but never thought it would ever happen. Me, who was sure that there was no human perfect for me.

But there was. This boy, Carrier-of-deep-seated-fears-and-scars Artisan-of-many-magics-which-humans-call-technology Resourceful-survivor-of-sharp-teethed-situations Loyal-follower-to-those-of-his-pack Oddity-of-black-and-white Sincere-and-trusting-innocents, was perfect. Yes he was a little small, unsure, scared, and weak right now- but I could smell in his name/scent the potential for amazing things and I knew he would become great. 

Ben was still talking to my boy (oh how glorious it felt the first time I said that) but he and I were only half listening. I was somewhat overwhelmed with the scent of a strange mix of excitement, adulation, jubilee, blissfulness, peace, calmness, and a sense of deep belonging. I had no idea if these emotion/scents were the boys or my own.

And that is how I gained a human- and not just any human, but one with the gift of animal speech. As far as I’ve heard the only people with that ability are Queen Cinderella, two wildlife preservation activists Mowgli Reitherman and Cody Ryen, a motivational speaker and ‘The Voice for the Orphans’ Penny Stacy, and King Tarzan (a lot of people think Queen Snow White is one too, but she cannot actually talk to us- though I will admit she is very good Animal Whisperer). That’s it. Those are the only known humans among hundreds of humans who can naturally speak in the tongue of animals without the use of magic and I happened to find one such special person completely on accident.

My life seems to always lean towards the out of the ordinary situations. 

Only two days later did I find out just how far from ordinary I had gone this time.

The bubbly blue round lady was planning on taking Carlos and his fellow outcasts (after bonding with my human he introduce me to three others who he secretly hoped were his friends, but he admitted to me he was not sure they felt the same- at least with Mal and Jay. Evie had told him verbally before she thought of him as her friend) on some sort of walk with the purpose of showing these human pups the ‘sights.’ We both agreed in the beginning that he should carry me while we were in the city. Though Carlos did not admit it outright I knew he needed the extra feeling of security if they were going to force him out in the open in a new environment. For me the city tended to vividly bring back bad memories so I knew that Carlos close proximity could keep me grounded in reality. 

The whole thing was stressful for us both of us, but it was soon almost over and I could feel his and my excitement to get back to Auradon Prep growing with every moment. It was as we were walking back to the blue womans car that a passing dog decided to make a scene. He was walking his owner when he saw me being held by my human. The dog broke away from his human and charged us (I liked that Carlos possible-friends stepped in front of him protectively when the dog tried to get close) and barked at me with urgency, telling me that my boy was apparently the son of the most hated villain of all, Cruella de Vil. 

Every dog hears stories of that crazy human. Most dogs are given a run down of her scent by their parents so that they will recognise her or anyone affiliated with her if she should escape from wherever the humans put her. I, as I’ve already made clear, kind of grew up without parents so no one had ever taught me how to recognise her. But I did know about the pup thief’s many, many crimes against my kind.

When I heard the dogs warning- I hesitated.

Carlos also heard what the dog said about him and reacted instantly. First his hold tightened around me instinctively and his emotion/scent showed his fear not just for his safety from the other dog but also fear that I would leave him. But just as quickly as he responded he changed. He loosened his arms around me, still holding on but making it clear that if I wanted I could leap out easily. His eyes refused to look at me as they cast down to the side in shame and his expression became what I began to recognise as his poker face- an attempt to hide what he was feeling so no one could hurt him. His emotion/scent became heavy with sadness, tinted with shame, and thick with fear. His body was forced into a tense sort of relaxation and I could sense him trying to shut down his emotions- even tempering off his emotion/scent so I could barely pick it up.

He was preparing for the hurt that he knew would come if I left- trying to minimize the damage it would do to him.

And that was when I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I had made the right decision in claiming this boy as my human. Carlos cared for me so much that he was willing to let me go, to give me my freedom, even though it would hurt him. I was so proud of him in that moment.

As for what I felt about the new revelation, my first reaction had been shock and a moment of second guessing myself. But after that I came to a realisation. Cruella was Carlos’ rat.

It all made sense now.

I looked up at Carlos and told him that I understood him better than I had even before. I let him know that I was not going to run and that if anything this brought us closer than we had been before. 

He would never be alone again. To me he was no longer an outcast. 

There is something so wonderful about my human’s smiles. There is so much warmth and innocent light that shines out from within him during those moments.

As we walked away, my human’s head was held just a little higher than before and his emotion/scent was more confident and happy than before (I’m so proud of him), I looked back at the dog (who Mal had frozen with an enchantment) and growled. I could tell he would have tried to attack Carlos (the audacity to attack my human!) if he had not been otherwise bound. He was convinced that my boy had somehow brainwashed me. I let that pompous dog know right away that he was wrong and scolded him for being so narrow minded.

Did no one ever consider that Cruella de Vil would treat her own pup as she did everyone else's? It made perfect sense to me. Such a horrible creature as that human women could never possibly show love to her own litter. She was like the rat.She only cared about her things.

My boy was now taking the first steps away from that controlling and abusive fleabag. And I would make sure that murderer would never hurt him again- even if I had to fight the devil herself. 

Carlos is my human and I will protect him no matter the cost.

**Author's Note:**

> In the movie Carlos goes from believing dogs will rip his throat out to hugging one to his chest in less than a minute. I just felt like there needed- no, _had_ to be more going on for Carlos to make such a quick turn around. 
> 
> Finding out that Carlos actually understood and could communicate with dogs opened up a way for me to solve this mystery that had been bothering me.
> 
> Plus I love dogs and felt there needed to be more stories out there that explored Carlos and Dudes companionship.


End file.
